Tuesday’s Tip for Better Photos
Rule of Thirds – Stop Centering Your Subject!
When we start taking pictures what is the natural instinct? Line the subject up in the cross hairs and shoot! We aren’t hunting. Let your poor subject live!
Today we are going to talk about a composition rule that is one of the first rules that people learn when they start studying photography: The Rule of Thirds. On some of the photography forums there are people who are pretty militant about it. Instead of considering it a “Rule”, I like to think of it as more of a recipe, but I will explain that a little later.
First of all, I wanted to find the origin of “Rule of Thirds” (ROT). When I looked it up it seemed that most people agree that ROT derives from the The Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is a mathematical constant (like π). It is a ratio that has been thought since the Renaissance to be aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. Leonardo de Vinci studied how it related to some bodily proportions and Adolph Zeising studied it in nature. ROT is an almost crude simplification of it.
When you place your subject in the middle of the image, you create a very static and uninteresting image that seems to be more documentation than artistic imagery. Applying ROT creates a composition that is pleasing to the eye and seems balanced and unified. To apply ROT to your pictures, imagine an equally spaced tic-tac-toe board on your viewfinder and try to align your points of interest with the grid. Extra points if you put your subject at one of the intersections.
Like I said, consider it a recipe, not a rule. Some people are great cooks. They never measure. It is always a dash of this and a pinch of that. Similarly some people have a more intuitive sense of balance. There are instructions on the photography forums for how to set up ROT grids on your editing software and some point and shoot cameras that offer it in the viewfinder/LCD screen, but there are lots of people who just develop a feel for it. Rule of Thirds is a recipe to help you get more pleasing compositions, but how strictly you follow it has to do with your comfort level with finding balance.
Quick Tips:
· Take Your subject out of the center
· Have more space in the direction that the subject is facing
· Try and align horizon line with one of the ROT lines
I have a friend who has her son's picture taken every year in a certain sweater of her husband's. I love that tradition, so I decided to start it with the baby. I am using a rugby jersey that my husband has. Griffin is too little to fit into it right now, but you get the idea.
Tuesday’s Better Photo Tips
We are going to start with tips about composition. Employing these tips on composition will improve your photos dramatically no matter whether you are shooting with a DSLR, a point and shoot or even a disposable.
Today’s tip: Simplify!
When you are taking a picture, you are making a statement. What are you trying to say? What are you trying to remember forever? Just if you are writing a paragraph or giving a speech, if you include too much information the recipient gets distracted or confused. Choose one object or story for your picture to be about and make sure that the only things in the picture help tell the story or emphasize the object.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to Fill the Frame. Zoom in closer. Whether you just have to push a button or you have to walk up closer to your subject. As you zoom in, you eliminate all of the clutter that will distract the viewer from your subject.
Also, Check Your Background. One of the big problems at our house is pictures taken at the kitchen table, only to see the open pantry door. If you notice something like that, walking over and closing the door can make a dramatically better picture. If you can walk 3 feet and change the background behind your subject from a park with kids playing, to solid greenery, move. One easy way to get a simpler background, especially outdoors, is to get higher than the subject (filling more of the background with grass). Understandably there are moments that won’t wait for you to make adjustments. Those moments you have to catch while you can. In those instances the moment you are trying to capture is more important than the quality of the picture.
We had a great senior session this afternoon! Kelly is an awesome kid and was such an adventurist with some of the places I sent him. We had fun discovering all of the cool spots around Maplewood Park. I am realizing that the graffiti wall is always changing which can be a challenge. One sneak peek shot from the session...
I have had several people approach me about helping them with their photography. Although I don’t really have the time right now, with a new business, a new baby and 4 other kiddos, I thought I could start posting weekly tips on my blog. So in the future look for Tuesday’s Tips for better photos.
Today we are going to talk a little bit about cameras. It is so easy to say “Oh, my photos would be better if only I had a better camera.” We live in such a gadget focused world that it is so easy to fall prey to the “I need that” disease- you can find it all over photography forums.
Have you ever gone over to a friend’s house, had an amazing meal and then ask what brand of pots and pans they have, expecting to be able to cook the same meal at home? Getting the same paint and canvas as an artist doesn’t mean that you will instantly be able to create a masterpiece. If you want to be impressed go to www.thebestcamera.com to see fabulous pictures taken with iphones. So many people think that once they get a DSLR (the big cameras with interchangeable lenses) they automatically get fantastic photos, but that isn’t the case. In fact, if you have no plans to shoot in manual, you’d probably be best served by a point and shoot. As you build your photography skills, you might want to upgrade to a DSLR, but you can begin taking better pictures with whatever camera you currently own.
Tip #1: READ YOUR MANUAL
You know the little book that came with your camera. If you are anything like me that book is somewhere in a box, in a closet… maybe. Good news! Google your camera make and model number and you should be able to find a PDF version on the web. Find out what the icons other than the green square do.
Tip #2: Take lots of pictures!
Don’t reserve the camera for special occasions. Use it every day. One advantage of point and shoots is that they are often small enough to fit in a pocket or purse. Taking more pictures will help in several ways. First it will help you to see things a little different. You will start noticing things you didn't notice before. Secondly, great for all of you moms, your kids will get so used to it that they have no problem going on with their regular lives. If you only pull it out for special occasions and then line everyone up to say cheese, all you will ever get is stiff pictures with bad flash and red eye.
Tip #3: Take pictures during the action instead of stopping the action.
This is really just a continuation of tip#2. Try to capture life rather than taking a picture. Sometimes the best pictures are the ones where someone is wrapped up in what they are doing. It will always have more emotion than calling someone over and telling them to say cheese. Most times all you need is to say their name for them to look up and then quickly snap the picture. I am not saying that the attached picture is some phenominal image, but it is a great capture of a sweet moment and that is my primary goal for our family snapshots.
CAPTURE LIFE! Snap those photos because before you know it, the moment will be gone and the babies will be grown.
Hard to take pictures of your hometown when you live 1800 miles away, but this is my current hometown, Maple Valley, Washington. This is a picture of the Cedar River just before it runs under the Maple Valley Highway. I always love to look at this view when I drive across the river.
Live subjects that I have to bribe or otherwise get to comply... Macro was easier. This one was pretty easy. My 4 year old with her little brother. I love the light in this picture. I was using high tech equipment such as window light and a plastic serving tray as a reflector. Too bad I chopped her fingers... I am not crazy about her hand being there in the first place. I tried to move it, but then I couldn't get as good of expressions from her and the baby started to wake.
